CVE-2022-37017 is a security control bypass vulnerability identified in Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) for Windows, specifically affecting versions prior to 14.3 RU6 and 14.3 RU5 Patch 1. This vulnerability targets the Client User Interface Password protection and the Policy Import/Export Password protection mechanisms, but only if these protections have been explicitly enabled by the administrator. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to circumvent these password protections, effectively bypassing security controls designed to restrict access to sensitive client interface functions and policy management operations. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), requires no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N), making it relatively straightforward to exploit if the vulnerable configuration is present. The impact primarily affects the integrity of the system, as unauthorized changes to policies or configurations could be made without detection or authorization. Confidentiality and availability impacts are not directly indicated. No known exploits have been reported in the wild to date, but the high CVSS score of 7.5 reflects the significant risk posed by this vulnerability if exploited. The vulnerability was reserved in July 2022 and publicly disclosed in December 2022. Symantec Endpoint Protection is widely used in enterprise environments for endpoint security, and this vulnerability undermines critical security controls that protect endpoint configurations and policies from unauthorized modification.

For European organizations, the potential impact of CVE-2022-37017 is substantial, particularly for those relying on Symantec Endpoint Protection versions prior to 14.3 RU6 or 14.3 RU5 Patch 1 with the affected password protections enabled. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass client interface and policy management protections, enabling unauthorized policy changes or disabling security features. This could lead to weakened endpoint defenses, facilitating further attacks such as malware deployment, lateral movement, or data manipulation. The integrity of endpoint security configurations is critical in maintaining organizational security posture, and bypassing these controls could result in prolonged undetected compromise. Given the high reliance on endpoint protection in sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government across Europe, this vulnerability could have cascading effects on operational security and regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR). Although no active exploits are known, the ease of exploitation and lack of required privileges or user interaction increase the risk of future targeted attacks. Organizations with strict policy enforcement and those managing sensitive or critical infrastructure endpoints are particularly at risk.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should prioritize upgrading Symantec Endpoint Protection agents to version 14.3 RU6 or later, or apply the 14.3 RU5 Patch 1 if upgrading is not immediately feasible. Administrators should verify whether Client User Interface Password protection and Policy Import/Export Password protection are enabled; if these features are not in use, consider disabling them temporarily until patches are applied. Additionally, organizations should implement strict access controls and monitoring around SEP management consoles and policy import/export functions to detect unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and limiting administrative access to SEP management interfaces can reduce exposure. Regular auditing of endpoint security configurations and logs can help identify suspicious changes indicative of exploitation attempts. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions alongside SEP can provide additional layers of detection for anomalous behavior. Finally, organizations should review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving endpoint security control bypasses.